


Saving Others will Save Us

by VereorInHell



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Good Theo Raeken, M/M, Possessive Liam Dunbar, Protective Liam Dunbar, Puppy pack at the rescue, Sexual Tension, Sharing Clothes, Slow Burn, Theo helping the pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:21:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VereorInHell/pseuds/VereorInHell
Summary: Mysteriously disappeared children and a case to crack, FBI special agent Stilinski brings in BH new dream team to tackle whatever supernatural bad guy staged this - meanwhile, Liam gets a chance to prove Scott he's the best stand-in alpha you've ever seen. And to find out what is going on with Theo.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Puppy pack at the rescue! And, I can't get over Thiam.

Cheryl was three. Fran was two and a half. David was four, and the youngest one of them was cute, tiny Jared, just shy out of two years old.

All gone without a trace.

Detective Marley looks at the bunch of documents haphazardly spread on his desk, the pictures of the crime scenes, of the victims, their families. The loads of notes he’s made during the last three months – three months of frantic investigation that ended in nothing, damn it.

Bent over his desk, head fallen down between his tense shoulders, Detective Marley realizes that he is nowhere close to solve this case, and time is running out. The more he needs to solve this mystery the less he’s likely to find any of those kids alive.

And damn it, he loves his job, but he hates when he can’t save people, bring them home to their families before they’re dead. When it’s children it’s even worse – when they’re children so small… it suffices to say that he’s stopped sleeping properly at least one month ago.

He shakes his head, curse silently and repeats it aloud. He doesn’t have another choice. He pulls his phone out of the back pocket of his pants and dials a number he’s promised himself he’ll never call.

A voice answer, groggy with sleep and failing to stifle down a yawn.

“..Lo?”

“Hi Stilinski. Sorry to wake you up. I’ve got a case I can’t crack” Detective Marley apologizes briskly.

On the other side of the phone FBI special agent Stiles Stilinski (Marley never learned the real name of the guy and settled for the nickname. Plus he’d always call him by surname anyway) snorts gracelessly and yawns again, louder.

“Joy. Just what I like to be told when people wake me up at the asscrack of dawn” he mutters sarcastically.

“You know I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important” Marley points out, his voice tight.

Stilinski just hums, perfectly aware of the fact: “What’s up, Marley. What’s wrong? You never call if it’s not a Jason Myers kind of gruesome situation”

Detective Marley can’t help his face from quirking up, his eyebrows wiggling at the joke: “I damn hope it’s not the case I have between my hands right now, but… seems a bit more a Nightmare on Elm Street kinda thing”

Stilinski is quiet for a few seconds, then he snorts: “I’m tempted to celebrate the fact you just made a joke, but I’m really scared to ask why. What’s your case?”

“Abducted children” Marley answers, his voice flat.

Stilinski swears louder: “What age?” he asks. Marley can hear fabric ruffling, probably Stilinski getting up, or at least sitting. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Stilinski wasn’t exactly in bed, at home, given how many times Detective Marley found him in the morning, passed out on the couch in his office.

“Four of them, all under five”

Stilinski swears louder: “Where?”

Detective Marley picks up a paper from one of the many manila folders open on his desk, shuffling others out of the way.

“You see, this is part of the reason I thought of you”

“Not just because you suspect it’s a supernatural thing?” Stilinski asks, and Marley can almost see him smirking.

Detective Marley makes a humming sound in agreement: “That too, but. Each of these kids had a parent coming from a place I think you’re familiar with”

Stilinski swears softly: “Don’t say Beacon Hills” he mutters.

Detective Marley lets the paper fall back on the table: “Sorry, Stilinski. You know it is”

-o-

Stiles swearing as first thing Scott hears right after accepting the call will never grow old. No matter how much he loves Stiles.

He smothers a chuckle and wipes his hand over his face. Sweat coats the palm of it, without enough of it being removed from his face. Damned South American humidity. How can Derek survive in this heat. Or, this might be the explanation for Derek Hale’s peculiar aversion to shirts. Scott feels like he’s just had a revelation.

“Hey Scotty” Stiles greets him, voice sounding happy but not able to cover how tired Stiles must be – at least not to the deep level checking Scott’s ears can operate already, on those two words only. 

“Do you think Derek never wears shirts because of the heat in the rainforest?” Scott asks.

Stiles is startled into a brief moment on silence, barely a couple of seconds, then he snorts: “Okay, that was weird. Potentially true, but still weird. Also, not in the least what I’m calling about”

“Too bad” Scott murmurs, smiling to himself.

Stiles snorts again and sighs, dragging it out. Scott can perceive his mood changing from the tone of his voice. He frowns: “Stiles?” he asks, prompting.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. It’s … it’s not nice, okay. I wish I could tell you I’m calling for something nice, but I’m really not”

“Uh-u. That’s fine. Also, you’re rambling. What’s going on? Are you okay? Are you still in Chicago?”

“No, I’m… I was actually on a case, they sent me to Las Vegas. Can you imagine? I am actually in Las Vegas, and I am here for work. And you don’t want to know how much shit I’ve already seen after only three days”

Scott chuckles softly: “I bet. What are you calling for, then?”

Stiles makes the same dragged, sighing sound: “A friend called me. He’s… He is a detective, and he’s struggling a lot with his case. Children abduction, four of them. Young kids. Like, kindergarten age”

Scott grimaces: “That… sounds really bad”

Stiles makes a sound of agreement: “It does. And he’s slightly desperate. You know the drill: time running out, suspecting involvement of something supernatural… he called me and asked if I could help. Only I am very stuck to my case in Vegas. But, Scott, we have to do something”

“Please tell me this does not have to do with Beacon Hills” Scott preemptively begs, squinting his eyes against the sun.

Stiles sighs again.

God-damn-it.

Scott sighs too, not really needing to hear it from Stiles.

“Yeah, it does. Of course it does. It’s always Beacon Hills, isn’t it” he grumbles under his breath.

“Totally agree with you, buddy. Anyway. I thought I’d call you to see if you could help, but I’m not sure you can do much from Brazil. And we need to get someone on this case really quickly. Like, now”

Scott makes a humming sound: “Well, Liam is still there. But I don’t know how much he could help. I suppose your father can be involved too?”

“I’ve already called him. He said he’ll do what he can, but, Scott – this doesn’t involve Beacon Hills directly. It’s… complicated”

“What do you mean?”

“We are looking for children abducted from families, where at least one of the parents came from Beacon Hills. But the families have all moved out of town. None of them are still in Beacon Hills, so my dad doesn’t have much jurisdiction on the case”

Scott makes a prolonged sound, mulling over Stiles’ words.

“What do you think Liam could do?” he asks.

Stiles snorts: “Well, the runt alone, nothing. But your little beta isn’t alone, is he? The rest of the puppy pack could help. I’m sure Mason could figure something out, what is the supernatural behind the disappearances”

Scott grins slightly: “Yeah, except you’re not really thinking about Mason cracking this one up, are you. You think Theo will”

There is a soft rustling sound and Scott just knows Stiles is shrugging.

“Whatever, means to an end, right. Theo is evil, but even the devil can help sometimes. And he knows plenty about the supernatural”

“And you think he will help, if the one asking is Liam” Scott adds.

Stiles makes the same rustling sound and then snorts a bitter chuckle: “Scott, there’s no way you can’t see the way your baby beta has somehow put a leash on our former, big bad chimera of death”

Scott snorts as well: “yeah... well. Not that I like it, but. I see your point” he admits.

“Theo can help. And he will do it if it’s Liam the one asking. If I send you the material, you could turn it to Liam. Even better, because I, technically, should not be disclosing this material to civilians… You could explain the thing to Liam, and tell him to go to my dad. I’ve sent everything to his office, already”

Scott hums in agreement: “Alright, Stiles. I will call him” he promises.

“Thanks, Scotty, you’re the best”

Scott smiles ruefully: “Yeah, well. Let’s just hope we won’t have other children disappearing before we figure this mystery out and crack it”

Stiles snorts: “Oh, Scott. I can tell you already that’s exactly what will happen. I just hope not all of them will be dead by the time we find them”

Scott bites his lip, closes his eyes, shakes his head. Stiles is right, but, he can’t live with himself thinking that this, in fact, is exactly how things will go. At best.

“I hate the way you’re turning more and more cynical, you know” he murmurs.

Stiles sighs: “Well, I hate it too, buddy”

-o-

Liam walks to the police station, his mind miles away. Trying not to think about last time he’s been here. Trying not to think about Tierney and Jiang. Trying not to think about Nolan almost killing them, poisoning with wolfsbane. Trying not to think about himself almost killing Nolan, there and later on, at the zoo.

So much hate, and only part of it because of fear. So much hate, so much death. How is he supposed to start back?

He remembers him and Theo, here, too. With the sheriff, facing the Ghost Riders. Being the only two left in the entire station and fighting together. Theo had been the enemy – and what an enemy, and yet he’s turned around. He’s been helping, saving Liam and the others. So much hate, so much death, and yet he’s come around. Who’s Liam to say Nolan, and everyone else who joined Monroe’s army at least temporary couldn’t, as well.

Jesus. Thinking about Theo doesn’t help. And at the same time it does. Liam shakes his head, tries to snap himself out of the sort-of stupor he’s fallen into. He’s almost at the station. He has a mission.

Or well, maybe not a mission. But a goal. Nothing like Mission Impossible, just a simple thing: get to Sheriff Stilinski, ask him the files Stiles has sent him. Read as much as he can, maybe take a copy (he shouldn’t, but surely the Sheriff won’t expect Liam to memorize all the information just after one look). Then he will find Mason and hope his human best friend can pull one of his usual, amazing move and figure things out just like that.

An epiphany, if you want to call it.

He slows down when he’s close to the station. He almost stops, his face squinting automatically at the sliding doors, brain working furiously to, at the same time, bring up and then smother all the memories associated with the place.

At least it’s not the hospital.

-o-

The Sheriff doesn’t let Liam take a copy of the material Stiles has sent him, not even a picture. But he tells him he can take notes, unofficial ones, and that he’s free to come to the station to check the official stuff whenever he needs. The Sheriff actually also adds, that whoever working with Liam needs to see the official information, they may come as well.

Liam thinks this is the most convoluted way the Sheriff could come up to refer to Theo – no way he would have said the same for Mason or, say, Corey.

And coming to think about it, Liam is really glad Scott has suggested bringing Theo in, in the first place. This story is terrifying, gruesome and creepy, and Theo is exactly the person Liam would have thought about turning to. Maybe because it’s something Theo might have seen in his past with the Dread Doctors – and, also, okay, in general… because the more gruesome the situation, the more Liam feels like turning to Theo is a good idea. Because of his expertise – and yes, fine, also because the chimera knows how to handle Liam under stress, better than Scott.

To be honest, Liam thinks he’s getting good at understanding a little bit of Theo as well, in turn, so, whatever is happening between the two of them, at least it’s reciprocal.

It has probably to do with Liam bringing Theo back from the dead – the chimera must have imprinted on him or something. Like a duckling, a former psychotic, murderous duckling reborn to be good.

Following: a few seconds in which Liam’s brain attempts coming up with the mental image of Theo, in duckling shape, with his human face, fangs out, glowing teeth. He almost starts laughing in the middle of the street – right before he remembers the pictures the Sheriff has shown him.

The pictures of overturned cribs, some bloodied, left empty in the night. Pictures of smiling babies, children and happy families, whose peaceful lives have been ripped apart.

His laughter dies down instantaneously. He clears his throat and walks briskly towards the school – Mason told him he’d be in the library, with Corey, trying to cram in some studying in the quiet hours of mid-afternoon, and he suggested Liam to meet them there. Which is exactly what Liam is doing right now, whipping his phone out and scrolling the contacts list.

His thumbs stops and hovers over Theo’s name. His feet slow down and stop, automatically.

He frowns at his own actions and thinks, why the hell am I turning this into such a big deal. I have to ask him to help, anyway. Wouldn’t be the first time I do it, anyway.

‘Right’ he tells himself, and hits the name to make the call start.

Theo doesn’t answer at the first ring, and Liam is left waiting, considering what to do. Should he drop the call, try again later? What is Theo even doing, it’s the middle of an afternoon and he doesn’t go to school, anyway. Liam realizes he’s never even found out where the chimera lives, where he’s staying.

Mason said that judging by the state his truck was found after Monroe’s hunters got him, Theo was very likely to have been living in his car, but. Liam damn hopes that’s no longer the case. Better to squat anywhere, in one of the many buildings left empty in the city, rather than a car. It’s not winter, true, but, still, it’s got to be cold and uncomfortable at night.

And why the hell does he care in the first place anyway.

Theo’s voice drags him out of his reflections, sounding snappish.

“What do you want, Liam”

Liam snorts: “Well, hello to you, too” he comments, just as sharp. Theo doesn’t add anything, and Liam tries to focus on extending his earing. He thinks he hears Theo’s breath – steady, but not calm. The chimera must be under some sort of distress – and Liam starts immediately wondering.

“Where are you? Are you okay?” he asks, frowning. He turns immediately, looking around – which is pretty pointless, because Theo isn’t anywhere close. At least as far as Liam knows.

“What do you want” Theo repeats, his voice sounding bored and much more controlled. But also annoyed, the way Theo does when he doesn’t want to put up with Liam but at the same time understands why Liam is, for whatever reason, pushing.

“I was calling because I need your help. But now I want to know first if everything’s okay with you” Liam repeats, unyielding.

Theo sighs, a dragged sound that he doesn’t bother to stifle or cover, and Liam knows he’s making it exactly to prove Liam his point: “I’m fine. Just tired. What do you need help with?”

Liam is tempted to push – why tired, what is the chimera even doing, was he sleeping during the day? Wouldn’t he be super concerned about his safety and never sleep during the day? – but he knows better than to press. Plus, since Scott has left him in charge he’s getting more and more these crazy urges to know if his people are safe – Alpha’s needs, Deaton explained, and well, apparently they include Theo. But, because Liam has been told that if he doesn’t control the urges he might be perceived a tiny (huge) bit like an overprotective parent, he tries to resist the urge, as much as he can.

And Theo is way better than anyone else Liam knows at taking care of himself, so if there is someone Liam doesn’t need to push, that’s Theo.

He’s also the one Liam knows that pushing will make him run away even faster, so.

“Scott called… well. It’d be easier to tell you in person, actually. I’m at the school, I’m about to talk with Mason and Corey, they don’t know yet, either. Do you think you could come here? Might be easier if you’re there when I tell them. So I don’t have to repeat myself”

“Why, your tiny brain might forget everything” Theo’s bored voice deadpans, and Liam growls, but it’s an empty threat – just like Theo’s words were more a standard reaction, and empty of any real malice.

There are ruffling sounds coming from the other end of the phone – Liam thinks Theo might have been in bed, on at least on another surface with fabrics that rustle when pushed away, and he suddenly has to swallow at the thought. He doesn’t know exactly why – might be an ‘alpha protecting his people’ thing, but the thought of the chimera sleeping on a bed – a soft bed, one in a safe place, where Theo doesn’t have to keep his guard up… It fucks with Liam, makes him feel some weird kind of urge. Like he really, really would love to see that, even be the one to provide Theo such a safe shelter.

He swallows again and thanks any god up there that the chimera isn’t anywhere close to smell whatever signal Liam’s chemosignals must be giving out.

“I can be there in twenty minutes” Theo says. Liam hears steps, soft thuds of objects being moved, but he can’t be sure and it’s not enough to figure out where Theo might be. He nods to himself, then realizes Theo can’t see him.

“Okay. I’ll wait you then. Do you want something to eat? I need to go to the cafeteria anyway”

Theo snorts: “You’ve taken this alpha thing really seriously, haven’t you. Too bad you’re extending it even to people you shouldn’t”

Liam grinds his teeth together, resisting the urge to object no, you’re pack, what the fuck are you saying. Instead he sighs, and smiles ruefully to himself.

“You have no idea. I feel like I’m mommying everyone these days” he admits.

Theo chuckles at that: “Mom-Liam. Now I’ve seen everything. Whatever, little wolf. It would be a shame if I didn’t get to exploit this instinct of yours a bit, uh?”

Liam snorts: “You're an asshole” he informs the chimera.

Theo outright laughs at that: “But you’ll still feed me, won’t you?”

“See if I do” Liam growls, happy that Theo doesn’t see him smiling, and drops the call.

He hesitates a bit, lingering close to the threshold of the main entrance, pondering what to do. Then he texts Mason that he’s starving and needs something to eat and, would he or Corey want something to eat?

He starts walking towards the cafeteria before Mason replies that no, they’re both fine, they’ll wait for him in the library. He takes two sandwiches for himself and then spends five entire minutes thinking what to get Theo, before getting him the same sandwiches he’s got for himself.

-o-

They aren’t allowed to eat in the library, so Mason and Corey had to take a break and join Liam on the bleachers, where he’s waiting for them. Liam is currently wolfing down his second sandwich, two others still wrapped placed neatly one next to the other beside him.

“Dude, I get the supernatural metabolism, but, are you that hungry?” Mason jokes, pointing with his chin in direction of the wrapped sandwiches.

Liam shakes his head, his mouth still half full: “Veir fr fio” he answers, earning a grimace from Mason and squinting eyes from Corey.

“Theo is coming here?” the chameleon asks, after the few seconds it takes him to interpret Liam's answer: “shit, is whatever you have to tell us that bad that it requires him?”

“And couldn’t you really wait two seconds to swallow before you answered?” Mason adds, sitting down with a suffering expression.

Liam smiles ruefully and swallows a big gulp: “Sciorry” he apologizes, kind of ruining the point at the same time. Mason sighs and shakes his head, knowing better than to push – Liam’s manner aren’t salvageable, anyway.

“Are things that bad?” Mason asks, echoing Corey’s question.

Liam grimaces, making a ball of the wrapper of his sandwiches: “I don’t know. I mean, it is bad. But we don’t know for sure if people have died already”

“Why, do you call me only after people died?” Theo’s voice pipes in.

Liam almost startles, and he bends over, effectively spotting Theo where he’s starting to walk up the bleachers. He sits opposite Corey, on the step below the one the other three are occupying, and wiggles his eyebrows when he notices the sandwiches.

Liam scowls but he passes them over.

“Shut up and eat” he grumbles.

Theo grins devilishly and doesn’t speak, but his face is saying everything his mouth isn’t. He busies himself unwrapping the sandwiches and eats them in that typical way of his, controlled but that makes Liam think if the chimera was alone he’d just swallow the whole thing down in two bites.

Corey and Mason exchange silent glances at the antics of the other two.

“I thought you said you were getting better at controlling the ‘alpha urges’?” Mason comments, voice going for lightly but sounding slightly judgmental. He gesticulates in direction of Theo and the sandwiches, and he doesn’t really have to voice the request for explanation his very expressive eyebrows are already conveying.

Very, very expressive eyebrows.

“Yeah, well. He sounded tired” Liam tries to justify himself.

Theo stops midway through his bite, comically so, his teeth about to close and tear a bite off but stopping right before that.

“What?” he asks, frowning towards Liam: “you said you were getting food for yourself too” he says, sounding almost accusatory.

Liam shrugs: “I did”

Theo squints at him but then decides he doesn’t care enough to investigate further, and goes back to finish eating his food.

Corey and Mason share another glance and Mason looks pointedly at Liam. He just rolls his eyes and shrugs: “Look, guys, it’s just food. I was getting some for me as well”

“If you were getting, I don’t know. Drugs, would you have gotten some for me as well? Or alcohol?” Theo asks, and Liam knows from his face and the light tone of his voice that he’s one-hundred percent trying to rile him up. But Liam doesn’t rise to the bait, no sir: he just flips him the bird, and ignores the look Mason and Corey are giving him.

“So, the thing is, nobody died yet, but… it’s bad” he announces, changing the subjects.

Corey frowns: “This is the thing Scott asked you to check, right?”

“What does ‘nobody has died yet’ exactly mean?” Mason asks, losing his judgmental expression and focusing on the more important topic.

“Well, Stiles got a call from a detective friend of his, and he can’t take the case because he’s on his own terrifying case of murderers and gory killings, so he called Scott, who asked that we see if we find what’s going on” Liam starts, trying to explain but actually mostly rambling.

“Okay, and, what is going on?” Corey asks.

“I say, good question” Theo comments softly, attacking his second sandwich and ignoring the way Corey flashes him a glare.

Liam sighs, not really looking forward to this part of the story: “We… we have a case of children abduction”

Silence. Even Theo stops eating his food and grimaces, mouth full, stopping mid-chew.

“Jesus” Mason sighs, shaking his head: “okay, abducted from where?” he asks.

“Different cities, but in every case, they were safe at home, and disappeared” Liam explains.

“And I’m guessing there were no signs of someone breaking in the houses, anything else the police could have worked on, right?” Theo asks, after swallowing a very thoroughly chewed bite.

Liam nods.

“But, why has the detective guy called Stiles?” Corey asks.

“Does he know that supernaturals exist?” Mason adds, surprised: “And that Stiles can help, in that case?”

Liam shrugs: “I guess Stiles is this guy’s contact when things go suspiciously bad and he starts suspecting the crimes might have a supernatural explanation” he answers.

“Yes, but” Theo asks, carefully lowering the half-eaten sandwich but not dropping it: “why Stiles? Is it because Stiles is this guy’s only contact when it comes to the supernatural, or is there another reason? Like, where do the families whose kids have disappeared live?”

Liam grimaces, then pulls it into a bitter smirk: “That’s the thing. They live all over the state, but, in every family involved, at least one of the parents come from here”

“Here?” Corey echoes, incredulous.

“As in, Beacon Hills?” Mason asks.

Theo sighs and rolls his eyes, looking so fed up with this story already: “I fucking hate this fucking city”

“Then why don’t you leave?” Corey asks, smiling sickly sweet.

Theo doesn’t reply, not acknowledging the jab verbally and not even looking Corey’s way, actually. His hands tighten a little around the sandwich, but only Liam seems to notice. Before the silence turns uncomfortable Liam licks his lips and hurries to answer that yes, the parents come from Beacon Hills.

“We don’t know if they might have anything else in common though, apparently the ages are different. So you can’t say, I don’t know, that they all went to school in the same year”

“But they’ve must have gone to the same school anyway” Mason points out, sort of following Liam in ignoring Corey’s comment.

“I think Scott once told me that what happened with Jackson turning into a kanima had involved a lot of guys attending the same school year” Liam says: “like, there was this guy controlling Jackson, when he was a kanima, and he used him to get revenge against some… well. Bullies”

“Matt” Theo says, pulling his lips in a thin line: “Yeah, bad story, that one”

“But the parents in this case didn’t attend BHHS at the same time. I mean… maybe some were in school when others were as well, like some were seniors while others started their first year. But their ages is different”

“So they went to school together, but to different classes” Mason sums up: “what if it’s something else, the common thread?”

Liam shrugs: “There must be something they have in common, but I don’t know what that is. And the detective doesn’t know either, which is why he asked Stiles”

“Who couldn't take the case and asked Scott” Corey comments, smirking slightly: “are we detectives, now?”

“Following that reasoning, Scott would be. You’d be just like the assistants of the replacement of the guy the real detective involved” Theo corrects, his face expressionless and eyes pinned in Liam’s.

Liam snorts, glares a little bit, but kind of agrees.

“What does that make of you?” Mason asks, sounding genuinely curious.

“The expert that gets called in because he’s as much a criminal as the one we are after?” Corey suggests, lifting his eyebrows.

Theo opens his mouth, then closes it back with a click and actually smiles at the chameleon, in a sort of proud and surprised way: “You know what, that’s actually pretty good as a comparison. Too bad you can’t solve this without me anyway, mmh?”

Mason snorts, almost chuckling. Corey looks at him with a frown. Mason fidgets, looking uncomfortable under his boyfriend's scrutiny.

“What, he’s kind of right” he admits.

Corey rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath something along the lines of boyfriends betraying him, and Mason grins, flicking him with a finger on his shoulder.

Liam catches Theo, the way he follows the exchange, his shoulders relaxing only the tiniest bit. Their eyes meet, and Liam holds his gaze for a few seconds, not able to find something to break the silence. Then he nudges him in his knee with the tip of his shoe, jerking his chin down towards the sandwich.

“Finish your food. We need to do some research. I have a list of the people involved, the family members, we need to see if there is something… supernatural with them”

“Like if they are supernatural, in the first place” Mason adds, smiling, obviously happy at the thought of hours of research awaiting them.

Corey hesitates, casting Liam a hesitant glance.

Liam notices, thinks he understands why the chameleon is being reluctant about whatever question he wants to ask. Still, he tilts his head to the side, as if to say, come on, ask.

“Uh… How many kids have been abducted, and how old were they?”

That brings down Mason’s good mood very quickly, and in general reminds everyone why they are going to do what they have to do.

Liam sighs: “Four, up to now. All very young”

“But, like primary school or kindergarten young?” Mason asks.

Liam pulls his lips in a line, noticing that Theo’s chewing has slowed down.

He grimaces: “Kindergarten”

Theo swears under his breath, with his mouth full. It’s too soft a sound, and it ends up drowned by Mason and Corey’s louder, same exclamation.

-o-

It turns out to be even worse than what they had expected.

Which shouldn’t be a surprise at all, Liam berates himself.

Mason had suggested faes, taking children and forgetting to leave a changeling as the replacement the usually switch babies with. Only, it was a bit of a stretch – faes’ MO is to leave a changeling with the human family of the baby they snatch, why would they make exceptions now.

Then there had been the idea that babies might have been taken by some creatures feeding on very young children. And, what do you know, it turned out that there is a long, long list of creatures enjoying babies and small children as food, which had in no way helped them shortening the list of suspects.

Corey had suggested ghosts, first, which would have explained the mysterious breaking in and out, but, do ghosts really manage to lift corporeal beings like humans? And, most importantly, who do you ask this question?

Then they have thought it might have been a curse, or a witch, teleporting in and out, and who would have no issue carrying human being with them.

It turned out worse because, well.

“How were we fucking supposed to know it was every fucking one of our fucking theories!!” Liam screams, at the top of his lungs, while he’s busy trying to kick a dwarf-looking fae creature off his leg.

Theo roars, gets rid of the two fairies coming at him with what look like glass spears, and then claws the dwarf attacking Liam in two. The two parts, not really halves but sort of, fall and roll awkwardly away, not too far from Liam’s foot.

Liam is about to lift his eyes and thank the chimera, but he chokes on a sharp intake of breath as he sees, right behind Theo, another fairy charging Theo turned back with another one of those sharp, lethal-looking glass spear.

“Behind you!” he shouts, and Theo turns and dodges at the very last moment, trips the fairy and plants his claws through her throat, shaking them while he retracts them and severing every connection between her head and torso.

“Ew” Corey comments, awkwardly shaking his head free of pieces of intestines of tiny fae creatures.

Mason, not too far behind, is struggling to contain the witch, a tall woman with the body of a very hot model and the face of a very old hag. He’s screaming spell after spell, reading them from this huge, dusty book (Liam wonders where he was hiding it all this time, and how the fuck does he manage to have the time to actually read spells in such a hectic situation. And with this bad light too).

“Some help, you guys!” the human shouts, after slamming the book closed and dodging what looks like an arrow entirely made of fire. The witch hurls more of those his way, trying to follow him, when Theo tackles her to the ground, her head slamming hard against the dirt.

He roars in her face while she blinks up his way, dizzy and surprised, and plants his claws through her throat before she can utter a word.

Silence falls – and with good reason: the faes around them have all been slaughtered, some in a messier way than others, and the witch exhales her last, ragged breaths, blood gurgling down her torn throat.

A fairy, looking like a very skinny twelve years girl, approaches Liam and gently tugs at the sleeve of his shirt to get his attention.

Liam turns, distantly hearing the wet noise Theo’s claws make when he retracts them from the witch’s throat.

“They’re dead. We wanted to thank you” she says, in a voice that sounds sweet – Liam wonders if she’s trying to use her allure over him, but he can move and think freely, so, maybe not.

He nods, lips in a thin line: “You could have helped, you know” he points out.

She shrugs, letting go of his sleeves: “We told you who was taking the children. We didn’t need to help you. Don’t you see? You didn’t need us” she points out, jerking her tiny, pointy chin in direction of the massacre around them – mostly done by Liam and Theo.

“It wouldn’t have hurt you to help us anyway” Corey grumbles, glaring at the fairy.

Her wings flutter behind her back, and she looks confused. Liam can hear the steps of Theo, standing up and walking from where the corpse of the witch lies. He can feel the chimera behind his back, close to where Mason and Corey also are.

“But why? Of course we would have gotten hurt. We could have died” she replies.

Theo snorts, a sound that’s half-way between a chuckle and something crueler.

“So could we” Corey insists.

“Let it go, Corey” Theo butts in, looking at the fairy over Liam’s shoulder with wild eyes: “you can’t reason with fairies anyway”

“Where are the kids?” Liam asks, because he doesn’t see the point in fighting with the fairies who have partially helped them about why they haven’t helped more – and because he doesn’t like Theo looking at the frail creature with that sinister light in his eyes.

The fairy actually pouts, looking a bit disappointed at the question: “Oh. We were kind of hoping you wouldn’t want them back. We thought we could keep them”

Theo chuckles cruelly.

Liam hears him ask Corey ‘see what I mean?’ and ignores him.

“That’s out of question. We want the kids now” he states.

The fairy’s eyes turn darker: “And if we don’t give them to you?” she asks, quiet and calm.

“We know where you live” Corey replies, smiling dazzlingly right after: “And we love fairy dust. Best thing ever to get a supernatural high. I heard burning fairies is an excellent way to produce fairy dust. What you say, Theo?”

Theo smiles, dark and hungry, showing teeth that elongate into fangs. His green eyes are wild and bleeding into yellow, and he’s looking at the fairy as if she was prey.

“I say you read my mind, Corey”

“Okay, okay, let’s stop here” Liam says, raising a hand and glaring back at both of them. He turns to look at the fairy and shrugs.

“Still. You heard them”

The fairy frowns at him, confused: “But you are the beta of a true alpha. You wouldn’t let them” she protests, not sounding too sure.

Liam smiles, sweet and dangerous the way he’s seen Theo do so many times.

“Sweetie, things change” he replies.

She nods, after a while, then nods again.

“I will tell my people to bring the kids back. We will bring them to their families. I give you my word” she promises.

Liam trusts that, because fae can’t lie.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to be safe, so he adds: “Alive and unharmed?”

She nods: “Alive and unharmed”

“Make the kids forget about what has happened, too” Mason requests.

She breaths heavily, not liking this one bit, but then nods: “They won’t remember” she promises. Then she disappears.

Theo snorts, shaking his head, turning to Corey and flashing him a smile that Liam can’t understand. Corey has a similar look on his face, and that’s when it dawns on Liam what that look is – pride. Pride, and understanding.

“Good move” Theo comments, nodding to Corey, his eyes going back to green, his teeth blunt and human.

Corey smirks: “I had a good teacher” he comments.

Mason looks slightly worried, Liam notices. Theo bursts out laughing, and shakes his head: “No, you had a terrible teacher. Taught you only terrible things”

Corey sobers up a little, his smirk twisting, turning into a rueful, little smile.

“Yeah. But he… he did good things, too” he insists: “not least of that, changing into someone better”

Theo sobers up too, swallows, tries to smile, but he can’t hide the blush. Liam thinks there is a huge grin on his own face, he can feel his own cheeks burning. Mason is beaming too, looking at Corey with the most proud expression Liam has ever seen on his face. He wonders why – what, exactly Mason is happy that Corey has just done.

Forgive Theo? Forgive himself? Forgive the past the two of them share? Forgive some part of him, the chimera one maybe, that looks a bit more like Theo than Corey likes to admit?

Liam has no clue, but still, he’s got plenty to feel proud of Theo, too. Even if, well. Can’t really make the comparison here, can he. He’s hardly got the connection to Theo that Corey and Mason share.

Even if Theo is, after all, his anchor.

He clears his throat and looks around, grimacing at the gory sight.

“What should we do with this mess?” he asks.

“Nothing. Fae’s bodies dissolve into dust when they’re hit by the sun” Theo answers, slipping his bloody hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

“Really?” Liam asks, hopeful.

Mason snorts: “No, but some of the ones in here will. For the rest of them, and for the witch, I’ve got a spell here that’s just perfect” he says, and flips his book out of nothing and opens it.

“Where the hell do you even keep that thing” Liam asks, under his breath, while Mason turns pages after pages, looking for the spell.

Corey shakes his head and smiles: “Liam, I tell you this as a friend: don’t ask your witch friend where they keep their magic books. Never”

Liam raises his eyebrows at the chameleon, but he doesn’t get anything out of him more than the cryptic suggestion. He looks at Theo, but the chimera is looking at Mason, pretending to be too engrossed in what the human is doing to pay Liam any attention.

When Mason is done and most of the bodies have disappeared, the clearing looks much better. They amass the bodies of the faes that will vanish when touched by sunlight in a spot where they should get plenty of rays, and then they can finally leave.

Mason and Corey trails away, in direction of Mason’s car, Corey’s hand slipping inside the back pocket of Mason’s jeans.

Theo and Liam look at them until they can’t distinguish their shadows anymore. Then they turn, smile sort of bashfully at each other, and both try and fail to cover the blushing.

“Can you drive me home?” Liam asks.

Theo nods: “Sure” he says.

They walk towards the spot where Theo has parked the truck, Theo already grumbling under his breath about all the work that it will take to clean the blood out of the upholstery and the fabric of the seats.

“I could help you, you now” Liam offers.

Theo snorts, but then he looks at Liam, with this expression that Liam doesn’t really dislike, but he doesn’t like it either because he just can’t figure out what’s supposed to mean.

“Yeah, okay” Theo says, flipping out the keys of the truck and opening it.

The ride to Liam’s place feels like all kinds of Deja-vu, like after the zoo, and after the hospital… like coming home.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive home is a quiet affair: Liam and Theo are both too tired, their healings working on aching muscles, scraped skin and bruises. Theo aims for a relaxed pose, his arm stretched out and his hand holding the wheel with a sort of lazy grip, but Liam sees through that. He knows Theo’s healing is slower than his own, and if he himself is feeling this stiff, he knows there is no way Theo really feels that relaxed as he pretends to be.

He almost snorts. He doesn’t only because that would mean admitting it took him this long before realizing it. And because it’d mean admitting watching Theo, and well. One thing is admitting Liam gets alpha urges and feels insanely protective towards anyone around. But being slightly obsessed by Theo’s wellbeing, his specifically before anyone else, it might be a tad creepy. Also not what the chimera would like.

And then Liam really snorts, before he can help himself – because this train of thoughts is just pointless and stupid. Theo knows Liam, can read him like a book, and Liam can hardly imagine himself being able to keep anything from him. Let alone this need to make sure Theo, before anyone else, is safe.

Theo throws him a curious glance, the quickest thing, then he snorts himself and looks away, eyes focused back to the windshield, taking in the road. They’re almost at Liam’s place.

Liam feels his cheeks heat up slightly, and there is nothing he can do. He closes his eyes and slumps a bit more in his seat, leaning against the door side.

Theo knows already. That all Liam wants now is to drag the chimera home with him, offer him his shower, give him a change of clothes (Liam’s own clothes), and send him to bed. Watching him sleep in a bed, safe and warm and clean, dressed in Liam’s own clothes and sleeping not too far from Liam himself.

Are these alpha urges? Liam doesn’t know. But he’s got a feeling that Theo does.

-o-

They reach Liam’s place and Theo kills the engine. He sighs and looks down in his lap. His eyes are actually closed, and he massages them as if they hurt. It’s just a way to buy time and Liam knows.

Liam barely moves in his seat, content with watching and waiting how the chimera decide to proceed. He can ask, sure, but there is no need – Theo knows already what Liam needs to ask and Liam knows that Theo knows.

So he just looks and waits, watches the way things unfold.

Theo sighs just as softly as before and looks up, pinning him with a blank look that may be a tiny bit too judgmental to be called blank, but still a blank look nonetheless.

“What” he says.

Liam grimaces internally and tries not to react too much. So much for waiting for Theo to decide, uh?

“What?” Liam echoes.

“What are you looking at me like that for” Theo explains.

Liam pulls his lips together and presses. They flatten down in a grimace that sort of look like a rueful smile but isn’t a real smile.

“Like how” he asks, playing dumb.

This is stupid. This is wasting time, and they are tired and aching and…- he shakes his head and raises both his hands in the air, moving them quickly as if to say, enough. He buckles his belt open and points his finger towards Theo.

“Look, you know what’s going to happen. I’m tired, everything hurts and I’m gross. You’re gross too. Please, just roll with this”

Theo quirks an eyebrow, silently asking something witty, potentially the same old line about Liam losing his remaining two braincells and having gone mad.

Liam quirks his eyebrow right back. Fight fire with fire. Ha, you bastard, try being on the receiving end of your own medicine.

Only Theo doesn’t know, evidently, how you’re supposed to behave when you’re on the receiving end of that stare because he raises his other eyebrow, too, and now looks pointedly at Liam like he’s lost it.

“Liam, I have no idea what you’re talking about” he defends himself.

Lying.

Liam grins smugly when he hears his heart falter. Theo rolls his eyes upward, closes them for a second or two and swears softly.

“You wanna try that again?” Liam asks, magnanimously.

“Please. That might have been the worst lie I’ve ever said” Theo murmurs, eyes still closed and a grimace on his full lips.

Liam smiles, happy and only a little bit enjoying the embarrassment darkening Theo’s cheeks.

It doesn’t happen often, okay. Sue him for wanting to savor the moment.

Theo sighs again and opens his eyes, and now they’re looking at each other, right in the eyes. Liam stops smiling, swallows, doesn’t know what to say.

“You know I won’t be able to sleep if you don’t come up with me” he confesses. He doesn’t blush, for some miracle, but he feels raw and open like he’s rarely felt.

Although last time he’s felt this way has probably been in this very same truck, with the very same chimera behind the steering wheel.

“I wish I could ask why I am supposed to give a damn about that” Theo comments lightly, lips pulled in a thin line, almost smiling.

Liam smiles back, his cheeks coloring. Theo’s do, too.

“Well” Liam says, fidgeting in his seat, points at the house with his head.

“Let’s go then?”

Theo sighs again. Then he nods, and he follows.

-o-

Liam tries to restrain himself, tries not to push, not to fidget, not to wait Theo right outside the bathroom closed door until Theo’s done with the shower.

He fails spectacularly.

Theo notices and sighs, every time, and his lips flatten down in a thin line that becomes a grin and then a smile, the more Liam acts like a fool.

An overprotective fool.

They’re standing facing each other, Theo with his hair still damp and dressed in Liam’s clothes, Liam still filthy, blood and mud dried on his skin and clothes.

Liam’s hands clench at his side and Theo snorts, quietly suppressing a laughing fit. He looks away, his arms coming up and crossing over his chest. When he looks back, Liam can see his bright red cheeks, easy like the light of day.

Liam blushes too.

“Come on, Liam. I’m not going to lie on your bed if you don’t ask me. At least that, you have to ask explicitly” Theo says, light and aiming for amused but not really hiding how nervous he is.

Liam is, at the same time, so surprised, and not at all, that Theo has gone along with every single one of Liam’s silent requests, any tips, any silent, puppy face and frantic hands waving in the air here and there.

Liam’s breath hitches as he tries to come up with the words – but suddenly asking, ‘can you please lie down and sleep in my bed’ sounds too difficult.

So he panics. He takes a step forward and uses his mouth in a much better way – you can’t put your foot in it and embarrass yourself if you’re plastering it against Theo’s.

Theo, whose face looks comically surprised, like he wasn’t really expecting Liam to do this, but also not surprised at all, like he simply wasn’t expecting Liam to do this now, and like this.

But then Theo moans softly and leans into the kiss, bending his head the right way, closing his eyes. Moving his lips the way Liam’s own are, and opening them the tiniest bit.

Yeah, okay.

Liam’s hands grab Theo’s hips and push him flat forwards against his chest before he can even realize, and his tongue is inside Theo’s mouth before he can even process what’s happening.

But Theo goes along with it. He kisses back just as hungrily, hands buried in the back of Liam’s head and running down Liam’s shoulders, his back, slipping under his shirt. Blunt, human nails drag angry red lines on the skin of Liam’s back, and Liam gasps, opening his mouth further. Theo pushes his tongue further in, moaning again. And Liam is very, very happy with the situation – but still, he growls and pushes the tips of his claws in the meat of Theo’s hips just to make the point.

Now it’s Theo the one gasping, and Liam the one rushing in, but Theo doesn’t seem to mind – he actually sighs softly and almost chuckles, letting Liam take charge.

And Liam does: he takes a step forward, his thigh brushing against Theo’s hard erection. Theo gasps, eyes wide open, his head moving away for the shock the movement sends through him. Liam grins, looking at the way Theo’s lips tremble as he digs his claws further in his hips, and moves his leg between Theo’s.

Theo closes his eyes, tilts his head back, baring an incredible amount of skin that Liam proceeds to attack after a low growl – biting and kissing and licking and nipping at every centimeter of flesh available. Theo moans again, growls softly himself and tries to smother down the sounds, but he can’t his mouth hanging still partly open, rocking against Liam as Liam moves his leg against his erection.

“Liam” he whispers, and he sounds so deliciously broken, Liam stops, and growls against his lips.

“Get on that bed, Theo” he orders, going for a whisper but sounding more like a growl again.

Theo opens his eyes and looks at him, surprised, blushing in excitement, then he smiles.

A real, nice smile.

“Bossy, Little Wolf?”

Liam growls again, the tips of his claws digging further in Theo’s hips. The chimera yelps in pain and moans in pleasure, the sounds fused into one, and he snaps his mouth shut and nods.

“Bed, sure, yes, lying down right now”

Liam takes a step back, chuckling, letting Theo lie down on the bed.

Then he moves to cover him again, and makes good use of what remains of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked the story please consider leaving a feedback. Tell me what you liked and what not!


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